


Tech Whisperer: One Time in Cambridge

by ItsaMePatches



Category: VeggieTales
Genre: Gen, M/M, One Shot, Side Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 15:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9498923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsaMePatches/pseuds/ItsaMePatches
Summary: !! Spoilers for "LarryBoy and the Tech Whisperer". !!Moments after approaching the desk and asking for Alfred, the cricket player hurried down the hallway, passing by door after door until he finally arrived to room 114. He prayed and hoped the condition of Alfred wasn’t serious, for as serious as Alfred could be, he was the sweetest person Montgomery ever got to know.There was no way he was going to lose him. Not like this.((Up to the reader if it's a Montgomery/Alfred AU or a part of the actual Tech Whisperer universe! :B))





	

**Author's Note:**

> Quick warning:  
> 1) This story is a spoiler for "LarryBoy and the Tech Whisperer"  
> and 2) The writing gets kind of rusty at the start of Alfred's recollection
> 
> That's pretty much it. :B

         The call came around one in the morning which really disrupted his rest, but still, Montgomery went ahead and answered the phone in a state of being partly awake. Seconds after he received an explanation for the late night call, his stomach twisted and soon, he was tossing on his university jacket, grabbing his cricket bat for protection, and rushing to his car, panicked.

         Alfred was in the hospital, more specifically in the emergency portion of it.

         Montgomery certainly was alert now as he drove out of the parking lot, onto the streets of Cambridge, and to the hospital he was informed about. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far from where they lived, so Montgomery was able to arrive within ten minutes after receiving the call.

         What on earth happened to Alfred? The formal-like man said he was going to an event and promised to be back at the dorm by eleven, so...did the accident occur at the event in question?

         How seriously was Alfred hurt?

         Montgomery bit his lip in a fit of nervousness overtaking him as he entered the hospital.

         Moments after approaching the desk and asking for Alfred, the cricket player hurried down the hallway, passing by door after door until he finally arrived to room 114. He prayed and hoped the condition of Alfred wasn’t serious, for as serious as Alfred could be, he was the sweetest person Montgomery ever got to know.

         There was no way he was going to lose him. _Not like this._

 

* * *

 

 

_ Cre-e-e-e-eak _ , the door squeaked upon Montgomery slowly entering the private hospital room.

         The sickening sensation that his stomach experienced earlier moved to his chest when Montgomery spotted an unconscious Alfred in the bed while his monocle sat upon the end table on the right side of it. A few steps further into the room, he noticed an oxygen mask was strapped to him along with one or two ivs attached. Alfred’s body was pale, as though he lost a significant amount of blood. Montgomery had a bad feeling that was the case.

         Montgomery instantly sat down in the comfy chair which sat to the left of Alfred, right beside the window. As he listened to the calm beeping of the heart monitor, Montgomery laid his cricket bat against the wall (it’s  _ amazing _ how they didn’t stop him from bringing that in) while his eyes briefly looked to the window out of curiosity. Still dark out with the stars and moon playing in the sky above and the streetlights trying their best to lessen the darkness of the outdoors.

         All of a sudden, the door creaked open a second time. It was a young nurse, perhaps around their age, entering with a clipboard in hand.

         “Thank you for coming here so late,” she said with a comforting smile. “We tried calling his family members, but they didn’t...seem to want to come here, so, you were the only other option.”

         “It’s alright,” Montgomery finally spoke and then changed the topic, asking, “How is he? Is he going to be okay, nurse?”

         “Well…” She briefly looked to her clipboard, scanning for some information to give to him. “Your friend suffered a pretty tough stab to the stomach and a lesser one to the chest. He lost a lot of blood,” when she saw Montgomery’s eyes widen, especially from hearing the latter bit, she added, “ _ but _ , he’s going to recover just fine. Possibly a few weeks.”

         Montgomery sighed in relief. “Thank God…”

         Wait a moment.

         “Nurse,” Montgomery questioned, “did you say something about his family not wanting to show up?”

         She nodded. “They said they don’t care,” if she had fingers, she would’ve been finger quoting, “ ‘what happens to that mild disappointment’, and then they cheerfully told me ‘goodnight’ and hung up.”

         His face faltered. All he could say was a soft, “Oh.”

         “Since you’re his only emergency contact, did you want to stay here for the rest of the night?”

         “Yes please,” Montgomery immediately replied. He couldn’t leave Alfred alone in this state -- he just  _ couldn’t _ .

         “Did you need a blanket and some pillows for whenever you want to rest?”   
         “...no thank you. Thank you though, miss.”

         With a smile coming back to her face, she nodded and then left the room, shutting the door behind her as quietly as possible.

         Montgomery hung his head as soon as the nurse was gone, sighing. His bright brown eyes looked to Alfred as the stirring in his stomach returned at full throttle. He shouldn’t have been surprised that his parents refused to come to the hospital after the stories Alfred told about his life at home, but still, Montgomery felt upset that they didn’t appear and simply told the hospital and Alfred to sod off.

         Anyway, that didn’t matter anymore. What truly mattered was that Alfred was going to be okay. He would overcome his injuries within a matter of weeks.

         “Thank God,” he murmured a second time this late night.

         The next few minutes were almost silent thanks to the heart monitor attached to Alfred being the only thing providing noise. Montgomery had to repeat the reassurance from the nurse over and over again in his head, for he still couldn’t help but worry over the unconscious man in front of him. He was scared. He was scared that he could’ve lost Alfred had he bled more. Did he go into shock? Did someone find him in that state and called for help, or did he have to do it himself somehow? A lot of questions about how the other Brit got here began to course through Montgomery’s thoughts.

         He sat back against the red plush chair, a puff of air escaping through his nostrils. Montgomery blinked once, twice, and then began to drift to sleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

         When Montgomery awoke, he felt warmth hitting the left side of his face. His eyes glanced to the window and saw that the sun was rising. If he had to guess, it was possibly six or seven in the morning. With a yawn, he stretched in his seat before taking a look at Alfred.

         Still asleep. He must have been really worn out.

         ‘ _ I guess I could grab something to eat _ ,’ he thought, but as he shifted in his seat, prepared to stand, Montgomery heard a gentle moan and froze with a gasp. “Alfie?”

         Alfred stirred more in bed.

         He leaned closer to the other man. “Alfie,” he repeated the affectionate nickname, though with anxiousness in tone. “Alfie, baby, are you awake?”

         The first thing Alfred said upon squinting his eyes open was a quiet, “You’re calling me ‘baby’ as well?”

         A brief, relieved laugh escaped from him. “Maybe.” Montgomery relaxed a little in his seat with a weak smile, confessing, “ _ God _ , Alfie...you scared me for a minute there.”

         “Oh,” he simply said. Alfred turned his head to get a better look at him as he returned the smile. “I apologise, Montgomery.”

         “Aw c’mon, you don’t have to apologise about it.”   
         “I still caused you to worry though.”

         “I know you’re going to heal up fine,” Montgomery answered, “so it doesn’t matter. Besides, from what the nurse told me, you were hurt by some sorry bloke.” He paused, realising the assault was still a touchy subject, so quickly, he retracted his words with, “Anyways, are you hungry? I could grab us a bite if this place has a cafeteria.”

         “I’m...not really hungry now,” Alfred answered and then struggled to sit up better, but he was met with sharp pains to his chest and stomach which made him cry (and Montgomery to flinch) and then flop back where he was a second prior. He sighed. “I wouldn’t mind some water though.”

         He nodded in acknowledgement, rising from his seat with a sly smile for what he was about to say, “Anything for you, baby.” When Alfred groaned from embarrassment, Montgomery waltzed out to retrieve whatever the two needed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

         “I’m surprised you haven’t asked how this happened.”

         Alfred’s feeble voice grabbed Montgomery’s attention away from the toast he almost stole another bite from. Montgomery looked to him, replying with a shrug, “I thought it would’ve been too soon to ask.”

         Alfred shifted in his spot in order to face Montgomery better, now sitting up thanks to a nurse checking on him. With an adjustment of his dear monocle, he began his tale.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**_..._ **

 

* * *

 

 

 

         The event was simply a gathering for social interaction, food, and drinks, but for Alfred, this was still something new for him, and he was going to make sure he had a lovely time regardless. So for the first of two hours of Girton’s little get-together, the young Brit shyly ate, drink, and occasionally joined in a few games being held by fellow students such as blackjack and miscellaneous board games. Sure, he didn’t  _ win _ any of them, but that didn’t matter to him at the moment. Playing game after game after game, Alfred needed to take a minor break from the socialising.

         He released a pleasant sigh as he departed from the public restroom. Blimey, so good so far. The party was going to end soon, so it was time to venture back into the auditorium for more fun.

         “ ‘scuse me!”

         Alfred spun around to see another male student just popping out of the restroom with a small grin on his face. “Um, yes?”

         The student, who appeared to be a rather big pumpkin, spoke casually, “I was wondering if you might have a few bits I could borrow for a round of poker going on right now. I’ll pay you back once I win.  _ Promise _ .”

         Hold on, the group holding the poker game banned from actual money from being used for the games. Why on earth would this handsome fellow need money then…? Instead of pointing out the flaw in his explanation, Alfred chose to play innocent by saying, “Oh, I’ve left my money at home, so I’m afraid I don’t have any I could give to you.”

         He faltered, something which made a minimal portion of Alfred worry he would react negatively; however, the pumpkin replied with a light laugh, “Aw, it’s okay. Don’t worry! Thanks anyway.”

         Phew, he didn’t seem disappointed which made Alfred even more at ease. Possibly because the other male’s smile was infectious, Alfred beamed an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”

         “No worries! Have a nice night.”   
         “Same to you!”

         And so, Alfred returned through the open double doors of the auditorium.

  
  


 

       Two long tables at the left corner of the hall sat the various drinks while the many more beside them were the mouth-watering food that especially was a favourite among college students. For Alfred, he needed a cup of punch before going in for another round of Connect Four. Wow, the table lacked a soul there. Lucky for him!

         Alfred scooped and poured the red punch into a plastic cup with the help of the ladle, humming quietly to himself. He didn’t appear to be making any possible acquaintances yet, but things such as that typically take a while to form.

         “Evenin’ again, cutie,” Alfred jumped when a soothing voice spoke up behind him while something small and pointy trailed across his chest.

         First, Alfred craned his head over his shoulder and saw it was the pumpkin with the Yorkshire accent again. His eyes darted to his chest next and instantly paled upon what trailed that area.

         It was a knife.

         Alfred, through the sudden feeling of his blood running cold and his body shivering, he stammered above a whisper, “Wh--what…?”

         “It was a nice cover for yourself about not having money,” he responded, his voice matching the volume of Alfred’s, “but I could see right through it once I knew who you were.” Before Alfred asked, the fella from York explained as he made the blade play across his victim’s chest, “Your parents’ pictures were hanging up in the library. The descriptions said they’re huge donors for the school since they went here too. You look like them, got the same surname, so...I put one and one together.”

_ Oh no _ .

         “I--I swear, I don’t have any money on me--”   
         “How about some sort of accessory? I’ll bet you flash your money a lot like your parents.”

         Alfred nervously shook his head. Yes, he had money on him, but still...he couldn’t give the cash to this man. Foolish as it was in this type of situation, he replied, “No. I only have the clothes on my back at the moment.”

         In a flash, a wad of cash was held up inches from his face. It was his.

         “Oo, what’s  _ this _ then? Looks like more than enough money for a round of poker,” he said with amusement in his tone. “ _ Now _ may I borrow this, or do I need to persuade you some more?”

         For that moment, it appeared that Alfred’s voice decided to shut off which left him in a panic. His mind, meanwhile, yelled at him, ‘ _ Do something! Why don’t you  _ do  _ something!? Give him the money,  _ please _! At least call for help! You’re at a crowded event! _ ’

         Alfred felt his body shiver harder as though his body became exposed by chilly winter air as his teeth chattered, struggling to either say “no” or call for help.

         For the captor behind him, he assumed the latter of the two would occur -- which was why he jabbed the knife into Alfred’s chest before a “please help me” could come from his mouth. What forced itself out of Alfred, instead, was a painful gasp followed by him dropping his cup to the ground.

         He back up from Alfred with an apologetic smile. “Might wanna keep it down, cutie. You don’t wanna cause a scene,” he told him with a gesture by nodding his head to the center floor where everybody else was, doing their own little activities.

         He almost fell back, but Alfred successfully turned himself around, his backside hitting the end of the table as the Brit pant with widened eyes. His mind was telling him something again. ‘ _ Call for help! Do it!! _ ’

         Alfred couldn’t call out for assistance, though.

         He was scared to do so.

         When the fella from Yorkshire had a hunch about Alfred making a sound regardless and due to his mouth quirking like he prepared to speak, he swooped in, covered Alfred’s mouth with his scarf while he plunged the knife into his stomach, digging deep into him which, of course, caused the monocle-wearing man to release a muffled, anguished cry.

         His vision blurred due to his eyes filling with burning tears from the intense pain spreading throughout his body as he faintly could feel himself being held closer. The unknown pumpkin probably didn’t want to see fellow attendees noticing the suspicious behaviour occurring at the drink tables. Even in this condition, Alfred pretended not to acknowledge that the single sob which escaped him wasn’t because he was scared of what could happen next.

         ...he was going to die, wasn’t he?

         No...no no no no no! It couldn’t end like this! Yes, he knew his family wouldn’t care at all, but  _ he  _ didn’t want this! He…

         ...he didn’t want to leave Montgomery, either.

         Alfred whined from either pain, the fear of dying, never seeing Montgomery again, or all three combined into one cluster of emotions.

         “Shh, don’t make a scene…” He shushed Alfred just in case he conjured more sounds. “I’ve got my money,” he gestured to the cash he still held with his free, uh, “hand”, “but...if you give me a bit  _ more _ , I can get you to a hospital. That’s what superheroes are for. I hope you don’t mind that I’m out of uniform.”

         This man...he was a “superhero”?

         “C’mon,” he spoke again, “you might want to make a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer soon. You’re startin’ to bleed profusely. At this rate, you’ll die of blood loss. Not like giving a few hundred or thousand is going to hurt you, given your family’s  _ blooming _ with money.”

         Alfred feebly nodded as his eyes began to slip shut whilst his body grew colder. The last thing he saw was the joyous group of fellow Girton students continued having fun without a worry for the next hour at least. That’s what he should’ve been doing…

         He fell limp into his hold and blacked out.

 

         Unbeknownst to Alfred from then until a few years later, he had been attacked and saved by Thomas Pumpkin, also known as Yorkin in the superhero realm.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**_..._ **

 

* * *

 

 

 

         Montgomery was biting his lower lip hard enough to break skin and only realised it once Alfred finished telling him what happened at the event. One of those so-called superheroes had the nerve to  _ not only _ rob and assault him but also made Alfred give up more money so he wouldn’t die! If there was one person who definitely didn’t deserve this, it was Alfred.

         “...Montgomery…?”

         He lifted his head to look to Alfred, briefly ignoring the twisting in his chest. “Aw, Alfie…” Montgomery finally spoke; although, his voice was soft which threw Alfred off-guard, “I’m sorry you had to deal with one of those...bleedin’  _ jerks _ ,” he spat that last word full of bitterness.

         For the first time in his life, Montgomery was at a loss for words. All he could do after that was open and then close his mouth whilst his mind struggled to find what else to say as his eyes stung all of a sudden.

         “You could have died.”

         Alfred gulped down a lump forming in his throat. “I’m sorry,” he whispered an apology.

         He blinked away the annoying tears that he definitely didn’t want Alfred to see. Montgomery made a small huff, though it wasn’t at the other Brit’s words. “Baby, I’m just glad you’re going to be okay.”

         The monocle-wearing man barked a weak laugh. “A _ gain _ with the embarrassing nickname!”

         “I  _ knew _ you’d react like that.”   
         “You’re silly…”

         The two fell into a moment of silence, both of them unsure what to say next. They both shared the same worry - that they feared they weren’t going to see each other again had Alfred arrive at the hospital too late. For Alfred, Montgomery was the only one close to him and cherished every little bit about him. Meanwhile, Montgomery didn’t want anything horrible to ever happen to someone so dear to him -- that dear person, of course, was Alfred.

         They glanced to each other once again.

         “Montgomery,” Alfred was the first to speak.

         Montgomery plopped over and leaned his head onto Alfred’s shoulder, causing him to grunt. With a slight mumble, he responded, “Yeah?”

         His eyes went half-lid before he gave in and leaned against the shorter man. “I love you.”

         Montgomery shut his eyes. “I love you too, Alfie.”

         “I’m surprised you didn’t call me ‘baby’ just then.”   
         “I’m saving it for when you  _ least _ expect it. It’s so cute when you blush at that nickname~.”

         It was now Alfred’s turn to huff as his chest began to flutter faintly. “Oh bother…”

         “...Alfie?”   
         “Hm?”   
         “Do you want me to go after the bloke who did this to you?”

         He bit his lip for a second and then replied, “No…”

         Montgomery’s eyes opened halfway, trying another question, “How about being a Hero Corrector with me?”

         “I…” Alfred’s eyes went to Montgomery, “don’t know.”

         “Don’t worry, take your time about it. You know, you’d look bloody adorable in my Batsman outfit.”   
         “There you go being silly again…”

         Montgomery grinned as he closed his eyes one more time. “It’s true though. You should try it when we get back.” This caused Alfred to laugh, something which made Montgomery’s grin widen. God, he missed hearing him do that.

         Shutting his eyes with a gentle smile, Alfred sweetly told him, “I’ll think about it, dear.”

         The two huddled closer until they felt comfortable as the rays of the morning sun shone on them from the hospital window on this spring day.

 

* * *

 

 

**_end_ **


End file.
